Definition of WHIFF

whiff

Meanings

Plural: whiffs

Noun

  • a short light gust of air
  • a lefteye flounder found in coastal waters from New England to Brazil
  • a strikeout resulting from the batter swinging at and missing the ball for the third strike
  • A brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air; a waft.
  • A short inhalation or exhalation of breath, especially when accompanied by smoke from a cigarette or pipe.
  • A short inhalation or exhalation of breath, especially when accompanied by smoke from a cigarette or pipe.
  • A cigarette or small cigar.
  • An odour (usually unpleasant) carried briefly through the air.
  • A small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.; specifically (obsolete), chiefly in take the whiff: a puff of tobacco smoke.
  • A flag used as a signal.
  • Any of a number of flatfish such as (dated) the lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) and now, especially, the megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) and (with a descriptive word) a species of large-tooth flounder or sand flounder (family Paralichthyidae).
  • A slight sign of something; a burst, a glimpse, a hint.
  • A slight attack or touch.
  • A characteristic quality of something; a flavour, a savour, a taste.
  • A sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle.
  • A failure to hit a ball in various sports (for example, golf); a miss.
  • A failure to hit a ball in various sports (for example, golf); a miss.
  • From the batter's perspective: a strike.
  • An expulsion of explosive or shot.
  • An outrigged boat for one person propelled by oar.
  • A sip of an alcoholic beverage.

Verb

  • perceive by inhaling through the nose
  • drive or carry as if by a puff of air
    • "The gust of air whiffed away the clouds"
  • strike out by swinging and missing the pitch charged as the third
  • smoke and exhale strongly
    • "whiff a pipe"
  • utter with a puff of air
    • "whiff out a prayer"
  • To carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air; to blow, puff, or waft away.
  • To say (something) with an exhalation of breath.
  • To inhale or exhale (smoke from tobacco, etc.) from a cigarette, pipe, or other smoking implement; to smoke (a cigarette, pipe, etc.); to puff.
  • To breathe in or sniff (an odour); to smell.
  • To shoot (someone) with a firearm; hence, to assassinate or kill (someone).
  • Of a pitcher: to strike out (a batter); to fan.
  • To consume (an alcoholic beverage).
  • To move in a way that causes a light gust of air, or a whistling sound.
  • To be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air; to waft.
  • To smoke a cigarette, pipe, or other smoking implement.
  • To smell; to sniff.
  • To give off or have an unpleasant smell; to stink.
  • Especially in baseball or golf: to completely miss hitting a ball; hence (baseball), of a batter: to strike out; to fan.
  • To fail spectacularly.
  • In fighting games, to execute a move that fails to hit the opponent.
  • To catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat.

Adj

  • Having a strong or unpleasant odour.

Intj

  • Used to indicate a sound like that of air passing through a small opening, that is, a short or soft whistle.

Origin / Etymology

The noun is possibly:
* partly a variant of Middle English wef, weffe (“bad smell, stench, stink; exhalation; vapour; tendency of something to go bad (?)”) [and other forms], possibly a variant of either:
** waf, waif, waife (“odour, scent”), possibly from waven (“to move to and fro, sway, wave; to stray, wander; to move in a weaving manner; (figuratively) to hesitate, vacillate”), from Old English wafian (“to wave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”); or
** wef (“a blow, stroke”), from weven (“to travel, wander; to move to and fro, flutter, waver; to blow something away, waft; to cause something to move; to fall; to cut deeply; to sever; to give up, yield; to give deference to; to avoid; to afflict, trouble; to beckon, signal”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Old English wefan (“to weave”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”)), or from wǣfan (see bewǣfan, ymbwǣfan); and
* partly onomatopoeic.
Noun sense 6 (“name of a number of flatfish”) is possibly derived from sense 1 (“brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air”), sense 4 (“small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.”), and other such senses.
The verb and adjective are derived from the noun. Verb sense 2.6 (“to catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat”) is possibly derived from sense 1.1 (“to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air”), sense 2.2 (“to be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air”), and other such senses.
The interjection is derived from noun sense 7.4 (“a sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle”).

Scrabble Score: 17

whiff is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
whiff is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
whiff is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

whiff is a valid Words With Friends word